Disclaimer: I own not any rights to the wonderful world of Escaflowne, nor
do I take any credit for its creation. I merely adore most of the
characters and get slightly emotional during the series. Is this a good
enough disclaimer for all those nice little lawyers out there?
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The temperature outside was hardly above the freezing point of water, the streets were filled with thin wisps of mist that swirled in numerous eddies. Ghostly shadows darted to and fro as early birds stirred from their roosts, shaking beads of dew off their wings before taking flight. Most citizens of the great city known as Torushina were still nestled in their nice warm beds, waiting for the temperature to rise to a more comfortable level. No such luck for one of the many employees in the industrial city.
It had been the faint tapping at the window that had first awakened the young woman barely out of her teenage years, the tapping caused by a small impatient falcon that sought to exit the room for an early morning hunt. The blankets were thrown back as the woman grumbled to herself, swinging her legs out from the nice warm cocoon that had protected her against the chill of night. A yelp echoed throughout her room as the bitingly cold floor meet the soles of her bare feet, causing her to leap out of bed and hop her way over to the window in a rather comical way.
"I honestly thought that you had more sense then to wake me up this early you bird brain!" She hissed as she unlocked and opened the window, earning an indignant chirp from the hobby falcon. Spreading his wings he let himself drop, disappearing in a blur of rusty brown and tan feathers into the sky.
Sighing, the young adult closed the windows and crossed over to the pitcher of water resting on the chestnut wood dresser and poured enough of it in that the basin was filled half way. Rather then simply splash her face with the cold liquid she plunged her whole head into the basin. For the briefest moment she entertained the idea of simply drowning herself; after all, it definitely sounded better then going to work today, considering that her boss was contemplating sending a message to the rebel group that he backed financially and would be looking for a messenger later. Blowing bubbles of resentment the woman pulled her head out and groped around for a towel to wipe her face dry; she wasn't brave enough, or stupid enough, to kill herself just to get out of work.
Wringing water from her hair she traipsed over to the closet nearby and forced the doors apart with her foot and elbow. It was only after the battle with the doors had been fought that the knowledge that she didn't know where exactly she would be working today crossed her mind. It could be anywhere: the door, the bar, the kitchens, any place that was short handed really. Growling at her lack of information, she shoved the doors back together and grabbed a robe then slipped into a pair of shoes. The kitchen would be her next destination and after that it was anybody's guess. Before she left, however, she opened a single window so that when the falcon returned he wouldn't be sitting outside for an extended amount of time
The kitchen was a bit warmer thankfully, the stoves having already been stoked and the cooks making preparations for breakfast. Most of the employees of Lord Dryden's Pub lived in or near the pub itself; even the regular performers could be found near the premises. The rent for the rooms was relatively low and was deducted from paw checks once a month. No big deal really, and it beat having to use half of your food money on some run down apartment. At least here the food was provided three times a day.
"Whatever happened to sleeping in this morning Kentory?" A voice inquired as soon as the woman stepped foot into the fire-lit kitchens. Blinking amber-violet eyes rapidly to erase the glaring spots that floated around her vision due to the sudden appearance of light, Kentory looked in the direction of the voice. Upon seeing who it belonged to she weaved her way pass cooks and other assorted workers that were awake this early in the morning and plopped down in the chair across the table.
"Very funny Naria. I was unfortunate enough to be subjected to a rather annoying wake up call from Tahaku." She grumbled, running nimble fingers through dusty brown hair and sighing. She nodded a thank you to the servant who placed a plate of fresh fruit and bread with half a wheel of cheese on the table while the leopard songstress and her sister chuckled in amusement. They knew that Kentory was rarely a morning person.
"Cheer up Tory. I'm sure that he'll learn his lesson sooner or later. Besides, he comes in handy at times and helps keep away unwanted company." Eriya commented while breaking off a piece of bread and slicing a thin piece of cheese off the wheel. This comment earned the golden twin a grumbled comment that Kentory could take care of herself. Eriya merely grinned at her human friend and bit into the bread and cheese.
"If you weren't my friend I'd drop a bucket of water on your head Kolt." The jaded woman warned, tossing a grape at the cat with a frown on her face.
"Love you too Tory." The golden leopard remarked, her ruby eyes sparkling in amusement at her friend's childish behavior.
"Naria! Eriya is being mean to me!" Kentory whined, complaining to the silver twin. As usual the older cat merely shrugged indifferently, getting a grape thrown at her in turn.
"I feel so loved." Kentory stated with a pout as she horded her remaining arsenal of grapes on her side of the table. However, before she got the chance to use them breakfast was interrupted by the appearance of Lord Dryden. He had come to announce today's schedule.
"Eriya and Naria, you two will be working the doors tonight. There will be another group performing tonight." The tall brunette announced once the rest of the employees had gathered and had settled. The twins exchanged glances of mixed emotions; on one hand they didn't have to sing tonight, and on the other they would be forced to greet all manner of visitors at the door. Kentory merely snickered at their bad luck.
"Kentory, you'll be having the day off in order to deliver a message." Dryden said next. The woman's snicker turned into a groan as she let her head fall on the table with a loud THUNK! Miraculously, she avoided smashing the grapes somehow. It was the twins' turn to snicker now and pat their friend's shoulder in mock sympathy.
"He did that on purpose. I know he did. It's not fair!" Kentory whimpered, but no amount of whining or begging could get her out of today's task. Great, now she had to ride all over the blasted land searching for her least favorite band of people. Once the announcements were finished she stood up and dragged her feet all the way back to her apartment.
While she was busy rummaging around in the bottom of her most unorganized closet, she failed to notice that the wind was slowly blowing to window shut. Unfortunately, Tahaku decided to fly through the closing gap, just to show off his prowess at flying, and ended up crashing into the window. Kentory blinked and stood up; gazing over at the dazed falcon that sat on the window sill for a moment before she scrambled over and flung open the window. Managing to catch the bird before he fell, she yanked him back in the room and sat him on her bed. A few moments later he hopped up onto his feet, flaring his shoulders indignantly and hissing at her, as if it were her fault that the window had closed.
"Ungrateful pigeon!" Kentory snapped at him, glaring at her tiny companion for a long moment before stomping back over to her closet and pulling out her casual riding wear. She would have been crazy to go in her typical work clothes, as they wouldn't have been very comfortable. After all, short shorts have a tendency to ride up while galloping across country.
The robe and bed clothes were soon discarded, tossed carelessly onto the bed and narrowly missing the flustered Tahaku. He reclaimed his perch on the bed post, ruffling his feathers and then smoothing them back into their proper places. Kentory ignored him as she pulled the light tunic on, the thin yet durable fabric doing nothing to block out the chilliness in the morning air. Pausing for a moment to look in the mirror her hand sought out a short leather string from the top dresser drawer while the other pulled her hair back. Grasping the string momentarily in her mouth she brushed her hair back and held it in place, dropping the piece of leather into her once again freed hand and then tying her hair back. That feat accomplished, she stepped into the pair of pants that she usually wore when riding and sat down on the bed to force the stubborn boots onto her feet. Taking a deep breath she stood up again, Tahaku fluttering over to settle on her shoulder and nipping her ear lightly in the signal that wherever she went he was going with her. In silent defeat Kentory nodded then strolled out of her apartment, closing the door behind her and making her way downstairs and to the gate where Dryden waited for her with the message and a saddled horse.
"No side tracking this time. I expect this message to be safely in the hands of the Abaharaki. No excuses." Dryden warned, waving the paper in front of her face and just out of reach so that she couldn't snatch is away from him. The horse snorted and shook its head as she settled for taking the reigns from her employer instead and swung herself up into the saddle, somehow without dislodging the fussy Tahaku.
"Not even death?" She quipped in response to his 'No excuses' comment. Dryden merely gave her an annoyed glare and handed her the envelope, holding the bridal of the horse until she had securely placed it in an interior pocket of the saddlebag looped around the horn. Once she had done everything to his liking he released the reigns and smacked the hide quarters of the horse, making it rear half way and then gallop off into a cloud of dust with Tahaku leading the way overhead. As he turned to walk back inside he felt a brief sensation of being watched that lasted only a few seconds. Shrugging, he made his way back inside and thought nothing more of the matter. Barely a minute after he had disappeared inside an animalistic form dropped to the ground having jumped down from the top of a nearby building. Acid green eyes narrowed slightly as whatever it was eyed the pub for a long moment before the creature was gone, the slight rise in temperature in the immediate area the only sign that something had occupied the space mere moments before. Something, or perhaps someone, had over heard everything.
~ ~ ~ ~
A/N: Well, the first chapter is finished! Excuse me while I mourn my KOed imagination. If you couldn't tell by the name Torushina, this will be a movie based fic. So, tell me what you think of Kentory and Tahaku. I had less then 48 hours to design them before I started this fic and hopefully they seem real enough. Who or what exactly was that 'thing' spying on Dryden and Kentory? You'll just have to read the next chapter to find out, and I'll only write the next chapter if I get reviews. You know what that means, don't you? Just click the little button in the right hand corner and review! ^_^;
~ ~ ~ ~
The temperature outside was hardly above the freezing point of water, the streets were filled with thin wisps of mist that swirled in numerous eddies. Ghostly shadows darted to and fro as early birds stirred from their roosts, shaking beads of dew off their wings before taking flight. Most citizens of the great city known as Torushina were still nestled in their nice warm beds, waiting for the temperature to rise to a more comfortable level. No such luck for one of the many employees in the industrial city.
It had been the faint tapping at the window that had first awakened the young woman barely out of her teenage years, the tapping caused by a small impatient falcon that sought to exit the room for an early morning hunt. The blankets were thrown back as the woman grumbled to herself, swinging her legs out from the nice warm cocoon that had protected her against the chill of night. A yelp echoed throughout her room as the bitingly cold floor meet the soles of her bare feet, causing her to leap out of bed and hop her way over to the window in a rather comical way.
"I honestly thought that you had more sense then to wake me up this early you bird brain!" She hissed as she unlocked and opened the window, earning an indignant chirp from the hobby falcon. Spreading his wings he let himself drop, disappearing in a blur of rusty brown and tan feathers into the sky.
Sighing, the young adult closed the windows and crossed over to the pitcher of water resting on the chestnut wood dresser and poured enough of it in that the basin was filled half way. Rather then simply splash her face with the cold liquid she plunged her whole head into the basin. For the briefest moment she entertained the idea of simply drowning herself; after all, it definitely sounded better then going to work today, considering that her boss was contemplating sending a message to the rebel group that he backed financially and would be looking for a messenger later. Blowing bubbles of resentment the woman pulled her head out and groped around for a towel to wipe her face dry; she wasn't brave enough, or stupid enough, to kill herself just to get out of work.
Wringing water from her hair she traipsed over to the closet nearby and forced the doors apart with her foot and elbow. It was only after the battle with the doors had been fought that the knowledge that she didn't know where exactly she would be working today crossed her mind. It could be anywhere: the door, the bar, the kitchens, any place that was short handed really. Growling at her lack of information, she shoved the doors back together and grabbed a robe then slipped into a pair of shoes. The kitchen would be her next destination and after that it was anybody's guess. Before she left, however, she opened a single window so that when the falcon returned he wouldn't be sitting outside for an extended amount of time
The kitchen was a bit warmer thankfully, the stoves having already been stoked and the cooks making preparations for breakfast. Most of the employees of Lord Dryden's Pub lived in or near the pub itself; even the regular performers could be found near the premises. The rent for the rooms was relatively low and was deducted from paw checks once a month. No big deal really, and it beat having to use half of your food money on some run down apartment. At least here the food was provided three times a day.
"Whatever happened to sleeping in this morning Kentory?" A voice inquired as soon as the woman stepped foot into the fire-lit kitchens. Blinking amber-violet eyes rapidly to erase the glaring spots that floated around her vision due to the sudden appearance of light, Kentory looked in the direction of the voice. Upon seeing who it belonged to she weaved her way pass cooks and other assorted workers that were awake this early in the morning and plopped down in the chair across the table.
"Very funny Naria. I was unfortunate enough to be subjected to a rather annoying wake up call from Tahaku." She grumbled, running nimble fingers through dusty brown hair and sighing. She nodded a thank you to the servant who placed a plate of fresh fruit and bread with half a wheel of cheese on the table while the leopard songstress and her sister chuckled in amusement. They knew that Kentory was rarely a morning person.
"Cheer up Tory. I'm sure that he'll learn his lesson sooner or later. Besides, he comes in handy at times and helps keep away unwanted company." Eriya commented while breaking off a piece of bread and slicing a thin piece of cheese off the wheel. This comment earned the golden twin a grumbled comment that Kentory could take care of herself. Eriya merely grinned at her human friend and bit into the bread and cheese.
"If you weren't my friend I'd drop a bucket of water on your head Kolt." The jaded woman warned, tossing a grape at the cat with a frown on her face.
"Love you too Tory." The golden leopard remarked, her ruby eyes sparkling in amusement at her friend's childish behavior.
"Naria! Eriya is being mean to me!" Kentory whined, complaining to the silver twin. As usual the older cat merely shrugged indifferently, getting a grape thrown at her in turn.
"I feel so loved." Kentory stated with a pout as she horded her remaining arsenal of grapes on her side of the table. However, before she got the chance to use them breakfast was interrupted by the appearance of Lord Dryden. He had come to announce today's schedule.
"Eriya and Naria, you two will be working the doors tonight. There will be another group performing tonight." The tall brunette announced once the rest of the employees had gathered and had settled. The twins exchanged glances of mixed emotions; on one hand they didn't have to sing tonight, and on the other they would be forced to greet all manner of visitors at the door. Kentory merely snickered at their bad luck.
"Kentory, you'll be having the day off in order to deliver a message." Dryden said next. The woman's snicker turned into a groan as she let her head fall on the table with a loud THUNK! Miraculously, she avoided smashing the grapes somehow. It was the twins' turn to snicker now and pat their friend's shoulder in mock sympathy.
"He did that on purpose. I know he did. It's not fair!" Kentory whimpered, but no amount of whining or begging could get her out of today's task. Great, now she had to ride all over the blasted land searching for her least favorite band of people. Once the announcements were finished she stood up and dragged her feet all the way back to her apartment.
While she was busy rummaging around in the bottom of her most unorganized closet, she failed to notice that the wind was slowly blowing to window shut. Unfortunately, Tahaku decided to fly through the closing gap, just to show off his prowess at flying, and ended up crashing into the window. Kentory blinked and stood up; gazing over at the dazed falcon that sat on the window sill for a moment before she scrambled over and flung open the window. Managing to catch the bird before he fell, she yanked him back in the room and sat him on her bed. A few moments later he hopped up onto his feet, flaring his shoulders indignantly and hissing at her, as if it were her fault that the window had closed.
"Ungrateful pigeon!" Kentory snapped at him, glaring at her tiny companion for a long moment before stomping back over to her closet and pulling out her casual riding wear. She would have been crazy to go in her typical work clothes, as they wouldn't have been very comfortable. After all, short shorts have a tendency to ride up while galloping across country.
The robe and bed clothes were soon discarded, tossed carelessly onto the bed and narrowly missing the flustered Tahaku. He reclaimed his perch on the bed post, ruffling his feathers and then smoothing them back into their proper places. Kentory ignored him as she pulled the light tunic on, the thin yet durable fabric doing nothing to block out the chilliness in the morning air. Pausing for a moment to look in the mirror her hand sought out a short leather string from the top dresser drawer while the other pulled her hair back. Grasping the string momentarily in her mouth she brushed her hair back and held it in place, dropping the piece of leather into her once again freed hand and then tying her hair back. That feat accomplished, she stepped into the pair of pants that she usually wore when riding and sat down on the bed to force the stubborn boots onto her feet. Taking a deep breath she stood up again, Tahaku fluttering over to settle on her shoulder and nipping her ear lightly in the signal that wherever she went he was going with her. In silent defeat Kentory nodded then strolled out of her apartment, closing the door behind her and making her way downstairs and to the gate where Dryden waited for her with the message and a saddled horse.
"No side tracking this time. I expect this message to be safely in the hands of the Abaharaki. No excuses." Dryden warned, waving the paper in front of her face and just out of reach so that she couldn't snatch is away from him. The horse snorted and shook its head as she settled for taking the reigns from her employer instead and swung herself up into the saddle, somehow without dislodging the fussy Tahaku.
"Not even death?" She quipped in response to his 'No excuses' comment. Dryden merely gave her an annoyed glare and handed her the envelope, holding the bridal of the horse until she had securely placed it in an interior pocket of the saddlebag looped around the horn. Once she had done everything to his liking he released the reigns and smacked the hide quarters of the horse, making it rear half way and then gallop off into a cloud of dust with Tahaku leading the way overhead. As he turned to walk back inside he felt a brief sensation of being watched that lasted only a few seconds. Shrugging, he made his way back inside and thought nothing more of the matter. Barely a minute after he had disappeared inside an animalistic form dropped to the ground having jumped down from the top of a nearby building. Acid green eyes narrowed slightly as whatever it was eyed the pub for a long moment before the creature was gone, the slight rise in temperature in the immediate area the only sign that something had occupied the space mere moments before. Something, or perhaps someone, had over heard everything.
~ ~ ~ ~
A/N: Well, the first chapter is finished! Excuse me while I mourn my KOed imagination. If you couldn't tell by the name Torushina, this will be a movie based fic. So, tell me what you think of Kentory and Tahaku. I had less then 48 hours to design them before I started this fic and hopefully they seem real enough. Who or what exactly was that 'thing' spying on Dryden and Kentory? You'll just have to read the next chapter to find out, and I'll only write the next chapter if I get reviews. You know what that means, don't you? Just click the little button in the right hand corner and review! ^_^;